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Here is a Vergara Cubano Caoba solid shells. Matthew Smith new hardware. This beauty bolonged to Manteca, a Cuban bongocero from the 50's that settled in Miami. He died close to 20 yrs. ago. Macho 7", hembra 8".

Suena tu bongo !

Dario

Another view (opposite side)

Vergara Cubano 1950's

Dario

Beautiful Vergara bongo no doubt. Love the stain job you can see "los mechones" of the lighter color wood.
How old are those shells?

Shells are about 50 yrs. old, there is no stain that's the Coba wood, it has light " lunares" on it. It just has varnish on it.

Dario

Dario,

that's a beauty. Thank you for sharing the pictures!

Do you play bongos, or congas, or everything? What is your main instrument?

TA

I think those shells might be the prettiest I have ever seen. I love the way he's matched the wood in the macho and hembra.....cafe con leche.

Does Cahoba originally have a more red appearance and then change to that darker shade over time?

Matt Smiths metalwork looks beautiful on them as well. It's pretty clear that's the lineage his own drums ultimately come from.

Dario, do you know how much Vergara used to charge for bongos back then? He really made drums that were beautiful even apart from their sound.

Thanks for posting the pics.

In response to Thomas Altmann & Coco,

Thomas, am Dario from the Latin Jazz group, the one with the discussion regarding Mongo and technique. I play both bongos and congas and timbales but on rare occasions. Lately mostly congas, whenever there are gigs, Miami surprisingly is not like NYC or LA. A couple of years back I used to play a lot of bongo' with a Cuban sextet that featured guitar ,tresero and two trompets, but that ended.

Coco, Those shells are about 50 yrs. old solid Caoba. I also have Mongo's Vergaras, Mongo bought his in 1954 when he played with Tito Puente and he bought them for Willie Bobo, Tito's bongocero at the time. Mongo's Vergara are 7" & 9", he had Vergara make the hembra oversized. Mongo told me he paid $12 for the shells and the hardware was made at a welding shop in Barrio Chino (a Chinese neighborhood in Havana) for $10. In total the bongos were $22, but it was 1954.

Enclosed: Mongo's Vergara bongos, solid Caoba.

Mongo with his Vergara bongos

Mongo and Dario, his last photo alive.

Dario,

I wrote you a private message over this board.

TA